Mentoring Program for Women Veterans Launched in California

Oakland resident Patricia Brooks, a U.S. Navy veteran who's used the Joining Forces Mentoring Plus program at the national level, speaks at a Sacramento news conference on Veterans Day announcing the program's California launch.

CPR photo/Ben Adler

Oakland Navy vet Patricia Brooks lost her paralegal job last year – a victim of the recession. Then, the Joining Forces Mentoring Plus program connected her with the business analytics software giant SAP:

“Maybe there’s wardrobe assistance. Maybe there’s outreach assistance. There’s daycare. There’s job care. This is a portal that invites you to go anywhere you need to go. The services and the help are there,” she says.

No state tax dollars go toward the program; it’s paid for with private fundraising.

Capitol Bureau Chief Ben Adler first became a public radio listener in the car on his way to preschool – though not necessarily by choice. Now, he leads Capital Public Radio’s state Capitol coverage, which airs on NPR stations across California. Read Full Bio